Golf club



Feb. 7, 1939- I w. 1... WETTLAUFER' 2,146,321

GOLF CLUB Filed June 22, 1937 J91 ue 74 Z02 William L. hkillazqer flZZO/n' 6y Patented Feb. 7, 19 39 p UNITED STATES 'rian'r OFFICE 2,146,321 GOLF CLUB 7 William L. Wettlaufer, Bufialo, N. Y.

Application June 22, 1937, Serial No. 149,649

6 Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs of the kind having heads of wood and tubular metal shafts and more particularly the invention is concerned with improvements in the connections by which I the said heads are secured to the said shafts One object of the invention is to provide a connection which will insure against relativeangular movement between the club head and its shaft.

.A further object is to provide for facility in attaching and detaching the club head.

A still further object is to provide a novel design and arrangement of the parts of the connection, whereby wearing of the said parts with the attendant loosening of the head upon its shaft is. prevented.

The invention is illustrated in ing drawing in whichr Figure 1 is a perspective View, partially in section, of a golf club embodying the features of the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary sec tions taken along lines 22 and 3,3, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the shaft shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the socket in which the lower end of the said shaft is secured.

Figure 6 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of the lower end of a modified form of shaft.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of the lower end of the said shaft.

the accompany- Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of a club head,

partially in section, showing a modified form of socket.

Figures 9 and 9a are perspective views of the companion parts of said socket.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing another form of socket.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary section taken along line I||l of Figure 10.

' so-called wood type.

The club, as illustrated in Figure 1, is of the It includes a head I 2 which is formed or provided with a neck or hosel l3 and a tubular metal shaft 14. The said shaft tapers toward its lower end in accordance with conventional practice and has a conforming fit in a bore l5 which is formed in the neck and heel of the head, the upper end of the said neck preferably being reinforced by a ferrule Hi.

In accordance with the invention an element I1 is secured in the lower end of the shaft l4 so that it is wholly encased by the latter. One end I 8 of the said element is round (Figure 4) and has an outside diameter which is substantially the same as the internal diameter of the shaft. The opposite end I 9 is square, or multisided, and has a conforming fit within the similarly shaped terminal portion of the shaft, the juncture of the round and square sections of the shaft providing a shoulder 20. The element I! may be secured in the shaft I4 by welding or in any other suitable manner.

. The square end of the shaft [4 fits in a metal socket 2!. The latter is arranged at the end of the bore l5 and is held in such position by an arm 22 which is secured against an angularly extending wall 23 of a recess 24 by a screw 25. The said screw passes through a hole 26 (Figure 5) in the arm 22'and enters the wood of the club head, the said arm being offset at its juncture with said socket to-provide a shoulder 2? which fits against a top wall 28 of the recess 1 24. The square end .of the shaft I4 is removably secured in the socket 2| by a screw 29 which enters a threaded opening 30 formed axially of the element H, the said screw serving when tightened to draw the shaft i4 into the bore I5 until such movement is arrested by engagement of the'shoulder 20 with the upper'end of the said socket.

A modified form of shaft is shown in Figures 6 and '7. In this embodiment the lower end 3| of the shaft terminates at the juncture of the round and square sections 32 and 33, respectively, of an adapter 34, the securement of the end 32 of the adapter in the end of the shaft preferably being eifected by spot Welding. The square end of the adapter is adapted to fit closely in a socket such as the one shown in Figure 5, for example, and is formed with an axially extending threadedopening 35 to accommodate the screw by which the said end is secured in the said socket.

A modified form of socket is shown in Figures 8, 9 and 9a. In this embodiment the socket which is indicated generally at 36 (Figure 8) includes as separable parts a square body section 31 and a bracket-like holder 38. One leg 39 of the said holder is secured against a wall 40 of a recess 4! by a screw 42 While the other leg 43 is formed. with an opening 44 in which the body section 3'5 of the socket fits, the said body section being formed with a flange 45 which seats against the metal defining the openings 44. The socket thus provided, aside from consisting of separable parts, is similar to and functions in substantially the same manner as the one shown in Figure 5.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 10 and 11 the socket 46 is formed integrally with the sole plate 41 of the head. The said socket is carried by the end wall 48 of an offset 49 which is formed in the sole plate and which extends into a recess 50, the socket 46 being located substantially centrally of the wall 48 so as to provide a shoulder which engages a wall 5| of the said recess.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that in each embodiment the shaft extends substantially the full length of the bore which is formed in the neck or hosel and heel of the head and thereby insures proper flexing of the shaft as the club is swung. The connections shown have the further advantage that they provide for securement of the head to the shaft in such a manner as to prevent relative movement between the two and at the same time enable the head to be attached and detached with facility.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf club of the wood type including a head which is formed with a bore, a multi-sided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, means for securing said socket in the position described, a tubular metal shaft, an element which is secured in the lower end of said shaft and which is formed with a multi-sided section which is inserted in said socket and means for securing said element insaid socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft.

2. A golf club of the wood type including a head which is formed with a bore, a multi-sided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, means for securing said socket in the position described, a tubular metal shaft, an adapter having a round section which is secured in the lower end of said shaft and a multi-sided section which is inserted in said socket and a threaded element for securing said adapter in said socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft, said adapter being formed with a threaded bore which extends into said round section and into which said element screws.

3. A golf club of the Wood type including a head which is formed with a bore, a multi-sided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, means for securing said socket in the position described, a tubular metal shaft, an element which is secured in the lower end of said shaft so that it is wholly encased by the latter, said element being formed with round and multi-sided sections, the metal at the lower end of said shaft being shaped so that it fits conformably the multi-sided section of said element and a threaded element for securing the lower end of said shaft in said socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft, said adapter being formed with a threaded bore which extends into said round section and into which said element screws,

4. A golf club of the wood type including a head which is formed with a bore and a recess which communicates with said bore, a multi-sided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, an

arm connected to said socket, means for securing said arm to a wall of said recess, a tubular metal shaft, said shaft being formed with a multisided section which is inserted in said socket and mean for securing said section in said socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft.

5. A golf club of the wood type including a head which is formed with a bore and a recess which communicates with said bore, a multisided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, an arm connected to said socket, means for securing said arm to a wall of said recess, said arm having an offset portion which engages a wall of said recess, a tubular metal shaft, an element which is secured in the lower end of said shaft and which is formed with a multi-sided section which is inserted in said socket and a screw for securing said element in said socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft, said screw entering a threaded bore formed in said element.

6. A golf club of the wood type including a head which is formed with a bore and a recess which communicates with said bore, a multisided metal socket at the lower end of said bore, said socket comprising as companion separable parts a body section and a bracket, said bracket having one leg which is secured to a wall of said recess and a second leg which engages a wall of said recess and which is formed with an opening in which said body section is arranged, said body section having a flanged end which engages said second leg around said opening, a tubular metal shaft, a multi-sided element which is secured in the lower end of said shaft and which is inserted in the body section of said socket and means for securing said element in said socket, whereby to prevent relative movement between said head and shaft.

WILLIAM L. WETTLAUFER. 

